Head of Inventory

**Work with an historic British retailer and growing international brand**:

- **Fast paced, contemporary working environment**:

- **Flexible work from home/office arrangement**

**About the Company**

WHSmith is an historic British retailer focusing on news, books and convenience, and is a renowned, competitive leader in the travel market worldwide. Our Australian operations, under which 7 brands currently operate, are rapidly expanding and since WHSmith is expected to continue this growth, we are looking for an experienced Display Planner to join us on this journey.

**About the Role**

Reporting directly to the Commercial Director, the Head of Inventory is responsible for developing effective inventory plans to deliver the company’s sales and margin targets. Leading a team of Inventory officers you will work closely with Merchandise Planning, Buying and the Store Operations teams to ensure delivery of inventory plans.

As our Head of Inventory, you will develop effective demand planning models based on sales plans, as well as propose and implement solutions to improve inventory productivity. You will own the end-to-end process from order placement through to store delivery and work with our supplier base to deliver to service level KPI’s

**Roles & Responsibilities**:

- Monitoring inventory levels to ensure that they remain within set parameters at all times
- Coordinating with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of inventory to meet sales forecasts and customer demands
- Developing plans for maintaining inventory levels to support replenishment and promotional sales models
- Developing service level reporting to evaluate Suppliers DIFOT compliance
- Reviewing orders and delivery schedules to ensure that they meet delivery requirements within the air and rail network
- Developing policies and procedures for inventory management processes, including how to handle damaged goods, expired items or end of life/discontinued products
- Communicating with suppliers on pricing accuracy or order status updates
- Recommending improvements to inventory management systems and processes
- Train and supervise inventory analysts in the maintenance of inventory and the inventory database.
- Present weekly reports to Commercial Director on inventory levels, overdue orders and risks
- Ensure inventory management is in line with strategic direction of WHSmith Australia.

**Skills & Experience**
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in inventory management
- Experience in a Retail environment
- Strong Excel skills
- Analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Initiative and drive